Clearview

Clearview is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma. The town was founded in 1903 along the tracks of the Fort Smith and Western Railroad. It was originally called Lincoln, but the town name was quickly changed to Clearview. By 1904 the town boasted a two-story hotel and a print shop. Very early in its existence Clearview enjoyed a brick school building and two churches.

A 1907 population figure of 618 declined by the late 1930s to about 400. In 1913, some residents left and took part in a “Back to Africa” movement, dreaming of new riches on the continent’s western Gold Coast.

The town lost a large portion of its population due to the Great Depression, the end of the railroad and the falling price of cotton. The 1990 census recorded only 47 people residing in Clearview. But the community still hosts an annual rodeo and has many interesting residents.